A dark cloud hangs above my head this weekend,and it's not just the ones that make puddles either! :-( Due to an on-going shoulder injury,a visit to my consultant and an some uncomfortable injections into my shoulder ligaments and tendons,i am un-able to ride for the next few days as i can't use my right  arm properly.This is definately not going to help with the training at all.My consultant has also given me the news that (A) i've not been looking forward to. And (B) the 1 thing i was hoping to avoid.........That is,quite simply,i've got to have surgery to fix the tendons across my shoulder before some more long term damage is caused.Good thing for me is that knowing the NHS i will be on the waiting for some time before they can fit me in.This means i should be able to get a full season of races in first.Although the prospect of an operation has left me feeling pretty fed up and slightly miserable/grumpy,i would just like to say that i am truely grateful to be in good health.

Keep cycling everyone ;-)    

Had a complete day of rest as far as the bike is concerned today,which is kind of a shame as i only needed to do a short 8mile sprint to hit 150mile target this week(oh well,add it onto next week i guess)! Even tho i'm missing 8miles i'm still pleased with what i've covered over the last 6 days.....142.12miles in a time of 8hrs01mins31secs this gives me an average of 17.7mph(i think) Ideally i would like to get my average speed up to a consistent 18.5mph which may only be a small increase but as anyone who rides a lot will appreciate it's not an easy task!

I've spent an hour or so this afternoon looking for some organised long distance cycling events to take part in as my local club only seem to have Time Trials listed in their calendar,which is ok but i do like the personal challenge of an endurance ride. Once again the online search didn't dissappoint as i stumbled across www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk  this has given me a list,of which some are not too far away from home and are definate contenders,83mile New Forest Sportive,Bournemouth Arrows Sportive(distance TBC),95mile Mega Meon Sportive and the 102mile New Forest 100. There was also 1 or 2 other possibilties if i can convince my wife to change the dates in which we go to see her parents in Surrey,(this however is easier said than done)!

If anyone knows of any other 70mile plus rides in the Hampshire area please let me know of them,it's much appreciated.Also anyone who may read this that is taking part in the 83mile New Forest Sportive on the 18/4/2010,maybe we could pace each other round!? 

A satisfactory 63.2miles completed in 3hrs41mins12secs with near perfect conditions this morning,the sun was out,there was no wind and little traffic,it could of been a bit warmer but beggers can't be choosers! Todays ride was 1 of those,if i take this turning i'll be home in 10mins,so i'll take the opposite and see where i end up......It's amazing i've lived here (on the IoW) all my life and yet i still manage to find places and roads that i've never been or just don't remember.Selfishly i believe that i live in the the best bike riding place on the South Coast,we've got good streches of flat roads,some mediocre hills with pleasent descents and there is also the challengeing uphills with the quite scary,hold on to your brakes descents! Unfortunately,much like the rest of the country we're gripped by a POT HOLE epidemic at the moment which means concentrating that little bit more on you road positioning ALL the time,rather than enjoying some of the wonderful views we have here.

In my previous Blog i pointed out that i had bought some HIGH5 energy drink to use on some of my longer rides,today was a perfect opportunity to try it out......Now this might just be in my head but i honestly believe it made a difference.Not necessarily to my riding ability,i.e.strength,power or speed but i certainly felt more controlled in using all 3 and now that i'm home and relaxing i feel suprisingly comfortable,a reason to carry on using it....a definate yes! Also after today i am that much closer to my weekly target mileage,this means another good distance ride tomorrow and i can have a rest day on sunday.(This will please the wife as i have a heap of decorating i need to do).

Happy Cycling and stay safe.

Thankfully i've got a 3 day weekend this week as i have got to put in some serious miles to catch up on my weekly target of 150miles p/week.So far,just commuting to and from work i've only managed a pretty poor 52.72 miles in 2hrs 56mins 03secs,giving me an average of 17.9mph.Admittedly this is spread over 4 days.It'll be an early start tomorrow as i need to do some running repairs before i go anywhere,picked up a slow puncture on my way home and developed a worrying rattle shortly after leaving work,this turned out to be a front brake block that decided it didn't want to be part of the bike anymore roughly 2 miles from home.Recently i bought some Highfive energy drink,i've not used this before so it will interesting to see if it makes any difference on some long rides over the next couple of days.(i'll keep you all posted on whether it helps or not)!